NCAA – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Harbaugh or KOC? Who Would Have Been Better for Vikings?

Posted on October 21, 2025October 21, 2025 by David Shama

When the 3-3 Vikings play the 4-3 Chargers in Los Angeles on Thursday night Minnesota will compete against a legend who might have been their head coach. Jim Harbaugh, now in his second season leading the Chargers, will face the Vikings for the first time in his return to the NFL after nine seasons at the University of Michigan.

It was February of 2022 when Vikings ownership and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were seriously considering Harbaugh for the head coach opening after firing Mike Zimmer. In Harbaugh’s first tenure as an NFL head coach, he led the 49ers for four seasons and took his teams to three NFC Championship games. In San Francisco he had an overall record of 49-22-1 and was 5-3 in the postseason including a 2013 Super Bowl loss to his brother John Harbaugh of the Ravens.

Not only did Harbaugh have a flashy resume, but it was clear going into an early February interview in Minnesota that he had a serious interest in the Vikings job. He reportedly told recruits and people back at Michigan that a change for him could be coming.

Harbaugh’s relationship with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel may have been less than ideal. Back in 2021 Manual had cut Harbaugh’s $8 million salary in half after some struggles including Michigan’s disappointing 2-4 record in COVID year 2020.

Sources reported Harbaugh was confident about getting the Vikings job. Not only did he have the impressive resume, but he had worked with Adofo-Mensah with the 49ers. And at age 58 Harbaugh was still young enough to guide the Vikings for a decade or more. For whatever reason that may never be known unless the Wilf family writes a tell-all-book, an offer to coach the Vikings reportedly was never made.

Harbaugh can be an aggressive personality, a stern leader, with a no surrender approach. Maybe the Vikings interviewers found Harbaugh’s demeanor too crusty and unpredictable for their liking. After all, they had just fired Zim who was known for his fiery and old-school temperament.

A former front office executive with NFL teams was asked via text if he had insights about what fell apart. “I don’t know specifics of negotiations with Harbaugh but perhaps they preferred (the) younger (Kevin) O’Connell coming from (the) popular (Mike) Shanahan/(Sean) McVay coaching tree. I think Jim Harbaugh is a great coach. …I’d rather have O’Connell at this stage of their respective careers.”

Now 61, Harbaugh has won everywhere he has been starting with the collegiate San Diego Toreros and going on from there to Stanford. The Cardinal was 1-11 before Harbaugh arrived. In his fourth and final season Stanford finished 12-1 including an Orange Bowl win.

After things didn’t materialize with the Vikings, Harbaugh went back to Michigan for two more seasons including his 15-0 team that won the 2023 national championship after advancing through the College Football Playoffs.

In 2024, his first season with Chargers, there was more Harbaugh magic. He took a team that was 5-12 the previous season and went 11-6 including a spot in the playoffs.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

O’Connell’s pleasant demeanor could get him a job as a friendly neighbor on a TV sitcom. He’s also a terrific quarterback developer, offensive schemer and play caller who is admired by his players for the culture he has created in three-plus seasons with the Vikings.

In his fourth season O’Connell has the highest winning percentage among all head coaches in franchise history, including playoff games. His 37-22 overall record and .627 percentage tops Bud Grant’s overall win percentage (.607) from 1967-83 and 1985. He became the fastest Vikings head coach to record 35 wins, achieving that in the opening game of the season against the Bears.

Despite all the success in four seasons, including twice winning 13 regular-season games or more, the 40-year-old O’Connell has yet to deliver a playoff win. He is 0-2 after the 2022 and 2024 regular seasons. The Vikings are his first head coaching job at any level.

So, who would the Vikings have been better off hitching their coaching future to back in the winter of 2022? If you’re talking about a five-to-eight-year horizon, the logic dictates Harbaugh. He has a vast edge over O’Connell in experience and success. Part of that experience includes judging personnel and evaluating it. You can be assured that while Harbaugh would have had the title of coach with the Vikings, his voice and authority regarding personnel, including drafting, would have been loud and authoritative enough to cut through a heavy San Francisco fog.

Fleck’s Tenure, Culture & Thoughts for Iowa Week

With the recent dismissal of James Franklin at Penn State, the Gophers’ P.J. Fleck, at age 44, is now the second longest tenured head football coach at his Big Ten school. Franklin was in his 12th season; Fleck is in his ninth while Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is in his 27th.

The Gophers, 5-2, and Iowa, also 5-2, play in Iowa City Saturday before a national TV audience on CBS. The Hawkeyes have been one of the most successful programs in the Big Ten under Ferentz. His way of doing things has not only produced nationally ranked teams and Big Ten titles, but he is the all-time winningest coach in conference history with 209 victories.

When Fleck took the Minnesota job in 2017, he spent the early years talking a lot about culture and was an admirer of Ferentz’s long tenure at Iowa and the benefits of stability to a program. Fleck was asked yesterday about the payoff from cultural sustainability.

When expectations and familiarity are in place it helps significantly to deal with challenges, he said. If coaches and players have been together for a period of time, the coach said, you know how they’re going to respond. “…Cultures are all about connecting people,” he explained. “That’s how I define culture.”

Fleck said dating back to his first season of 2017 he’s had the same defense. The offense, although adjusted over time, is similar, too. “We know what works here, what type of person works here. If (on the other hand) all those roles are constantly changing then you kind of have a hodge podge and it’s really hard to connect all those people (to have success, face adversity and try to get through it).”

Part of that cultural sustainability, too, is athletic director Mark Coyle who was hired in 2016. He hired Fleck. “I have a boss who allows me to be me,” said Fleck who wants his players to be themselves—authentic and accountable.

“We all have to answer to the culture, including me,” said Fleck. “I am no bigger than the culture I create.”

Systems may change and people, too, but not the culture that makes up a formula “where everybody knows what to expect.”

The culture has been successful for Fleck who is the fifth longest tenured coach in Gopher football history. He is fifth in overall wins with a 104 and his seven victories over top 25 nationally ranked teams is a career school coaching record. His 63-41 record and winning percentage of .605 is third best at Minnesota among coaches with at least 45 games.

Iowa is more than a touchdown favorite to win Saturday against a Gophers team that played its best game of the season last Friday night in dominating then No. 25 ranked Nebraska. The Gophers won that game 24-6 but lost to so-so California and 42-3 against No. 1 ranked Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes have a three-point loss to a solid Iowa State team and a five-point loss to No. 2 ranked Indiana. They also have the advantage of playing at home on Saturday in front of perhaps the Big Ten’s most rabid fan base.

Fleck has long regarded Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium as the “hardest” place in the conference to play. The Gophers will do everything possible in practice this week to replicate the chaotic environment they will face Saturday afternoon. That includes music, crowd noise and even derogatory comments like the Kinnick faithful may utter.

“…Football is a game of emotion, and we want our players to play with incredible emotion,” Fleck said. “We just never want you to cross the line to emotional (letting outside things dictate behavior). …”

Fleck is 1-7 against Iowa, with the only win coming two years ago in Kinnick Stadium. A controversial but correct fair catch ruling that went against Iowa helped Minnesota escape with a 12-10 victory. Incensed fans threw objects on the field in the tradition of Hawkeyes patrons dating back to at least the 1930s when whiskey bottles were a favored projectile.

A wit might say that’s cultural sustainability, too.

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Glen Mason Speaks Out about Honoring U Football Players

Posted on October 7, 2025October 7, 2025 by David Shama

It’s Homecoming Week at the University of Minnesota where events lead up to Saturday night’s football game against Purdue. Inside Huntington Bank Stadium the names of five all-time great Minnesota players are prominently displayed for alums and other fans to see.

The more knowledgeable patrons know the famous five have their numbers and jerseys retired—Bobby Bell, Paul Giel, Bronko Nagurski, Bruce Smith and Sandy Stephens. All are deceased except for Bell who plans to attend the Homecoming game and participate in recognition of the 65^th anniversary of the 1960 national championship team.

Bell’s last season at Minnesota was 1962 when he was the Outland Trophy winner and was named an All-American tackle for a second consecutive season. Giel’s last season was 1953, Nagurski’s 1929, Smith’s 1941 and Stephens 1961.

With its rich football history, the athletic department has an opportunity to soon add to the recognition of the greatest ever football Gophers. Greg Eslinger, the superlative 2004 and 2005 All-American center who blocked for some of the best running attacks in school history, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December and is deserving of a spot at the Bank.

Glen Mason, Eslinger’s coach, said it’s overdue to retire the number and jersey of the 2005 Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy winner. Mason told Sports Headliners “I can’t understand” why Eslinger isn’t keeping company with Bell, Giel, Nagurski, Smith and Stephens.

Mason describes Eslinger’s absence as a “pet peeve.”

Eslinger (No. 61) photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Eslinger’s resume is eye-popping and includes being the 2005 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (only Gopher ever honored). He was named All-Big Ten three times in his career, and he was awarded the 2006 Big Ten Medal of Honor (the conference’s oldest and most prestigious award). He was also a two-time Academic All-American.

Two other players who Mason coached deserve consideration for having their numbers and jerseys retired. Tyrone Carter won the 1999 Jim Thorpe Award and was a two-time All-American safety. Matt Spaeth won the 2006 John Mackey Award as an All-American tight end that year.

“Why those guys’ names (Eslinger, Carter and Spaeth) wouldn’t be up there is mind boggling to me,” Mason said. “You know, the players’ names that were there up were great players but none better than these guys…and these (five) guys are ancient. Nobody knows who they are. It’s stupidity.”

Mason added “another thorn in my side” is that Spaeth isn’t in the M Club Hall of Fame for Gopher athletes. Spaeth, a two-time All-Big Ten selection who holds the school career record for tight ends of 1,293 receiving yards, was a four-year starter for Mason.

“Outrageous, because I could name a few guys that you could say, what are they doing in there? He’s not in there, it’s embarrassing,” Mason said.

Asked about plans to expand the number of retired numbers and jerseys, an athletic department spokesman said via text “we are continually engaged in conversations about how best to recognize and honor the contributions former football players have made to the program.”

The department will honor Eslinger at the home Nebraska game on October 17. The Gophers also plan to have representation at Eslinger’s induction into the Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in December.

The National Football Foundation sponsors the Hall of Fame which is located in Atlanta. Tickets are available at https://NFF2025.givesmart.com.

Eslinger will join 32 other former Gophers players and coaches in the Hall of Fame, including Bell, Giel, Nagurski, Smith and Stephens. Here are brief capsules on the five and what made them so special.

Bell could have been a great player at multiple positions, perhaps even quarterback. He settled for terrorizing opposing offenses as a defensive tackle on national title and Rose Bowl teams that went 22-6-1 from 1960-1962. To this day, there are Gopher historians who maintain the superbly athletic and instinctual Bell is the greatest football player ever at Minnesota.

Giel was an elusive single-wing tailback who was an All-American in 1952 and 1953. Despite playing on mediocre teams, he finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1952 and second in 1953 when he lost in a controversial vote to Notre Dame’s Johnny Lattner. United Press International, though, named him College Player of the Year. He twice won the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football Award as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player.

Nagurski is one of the most famous names in college football lore. In the late 1920s he played tackle, fullback, defensive and offensive end, linebacker and even quarterback. A beast whose strength was way ahead of his day, he was named a consensus All-American in 1929 at two positions, tackle and fullback. Sports Illustrated named him college football’s best player of the first half of the 20th century.

Smith, also a great tailback in the single-wing, was a back-to-back All-American on Minnesota’s 1940 and 1941 national championship teams. Those teams were undefeated and in the 1940 season he scored three game winning touchdowns. He is also Minnesota’s only Heisman Trophy winner, being honored in 1941. And, oh yeah, Hollywood made a move about him: “Smith of Minnesota.” He was one of the stars, of course.

Stephens finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting after his senior season of 1961. Quite a feat for an African American who was a pioneer at the position. He was the starter on the 1960 national championship team, but his play went to another level in 1961when he made numerous first team All-American teams and was named the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football Award winner as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player. He led the Gophers to a 21-3 win over UCLA in the 1962 Rose Bowl.

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Win or Lose, U Can Make Positive Impression at No. 1 OSU

Posted on October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 by David Shama

Everything seems to line up in Ohio State’s favor for its game Saturday night in Columbus on national TV against the Golden Gophers. Superior talent, home field advantage and history all weigh in on the likelihood of a Buckeyes win on NBC TV.

The Gophers, though, with a victory or defeat, can make an important statement about themselves. Upset the nation’s No. 1 ranked team and Minnesota will record one of its most stunning wins in program history. Hang competitively with the Bucks for four quarters and the Gophers will have played their best game of the season and set themselves up for confident performances in upcoming games at home against Purdue and Nebraska. BetMGM, BTW, makes the Buckeyes a 24-point favorite.

The Gophers, 3-1 on the season, have defeated Ohio State three times since 1965. Minnesota, with wins at home in 1966 and 1981, and a victory in Columbus in 2000, has an all-time record of seven wins and 47 losses against the Brutes from Columbus. No Big Ten foe has historically dominated the Gophers like Ohio State.

The 4-0 Buckeyes are the defending national champions and look to be rolling toward another College Football Playoff spot. They have several players ESPN listed on its preseason roster of the nation’s top 100 college players. That group is led by two superstars, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs, who are ranked No. 1 and 5 respectively. Minnesota has one player against Ohio State’s five in safety Koi Perich ranked No. 42.

The Buckeyes are averaging an impressive 36.3 points per game and giving up a nation’s best 5.5. The Gophers are averaging 33.5 and 16.63, with numbers skewed by a 66-0 win over patsy foe Northwestern State.

For Minnesota to stay in the game, the Gophers will need to slow the Ohio State run game and pressure quarterback Julian Sayin. A repeat performance of seven sacks like in last week’s 31-28 win over Rutgers would be a wish come true for the Gophers.

Offensively, the guess here is the Gophers will play for a third consecutive game without star running back Darius Taylor who has become almost as well known for his hamstring injuries as his running and pass catching. That will leave a lot of burden on redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance against Rutgers when he completed 31 passes on 41 attempts for 324 yards and three touchdowns (all career highs) with no interceptions as Minnesota rallied from a 14-point deficit to win at home.

The Gophers will need to overcome the crowd chaos of playing in arguably the Big Ten’s noisiest stadium. The “Horseshoe” seats over 102,000 and the decibel can be deafening. Lindsey can forget audibling at the line of scrimmage to change plays. Instead, the Gophers who have practiced this week amidst raucous artificial noise, will rely on hand signals for communications.

Gopher coach P.J. Fleck noted earlier in the week that OSU fans have been asking for a couple of years to see their heroes in a home night game. After fans are tailgating all day, Fleck expects his team to walk into “a really hostile environment.”

“…Our players are just going to have to have incredible poise and execute the small details, and find a way to just continue to get better and go execute the game plan that’s in front of us,” Fleck said.

Fleck refers to the game as both a challenge and opportunity for his team. That includes for individuals like Lindsey, the first-year starter, who against Rutgers further justified the confidence of his teammates and coaches. Fleck already knows Lindsey is a special talent but also realizes the trajectory of progress won’t always be vertical.

If Lindsey on Saturday, though, plays at a higher level than against Rutgers, even BetMGM would like the Gophers’ chances of making an impressive showing at the “Shoe.”

Worth Noting

BetMGM lists the 2-2 Vikings as 3.5 favorites for their Sunday game against the 1-3 Browns in London. Minnesota needs a win, because the next three opponents are the 4-0 Eagles at home and on the road against the Chargers and Lions, both 3-1.

Vikings Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Michael Jurgens, J.J. McCarthy, Brian O’Neill and Andrew Van Ginkel are ruled out for Sunday’s game, according to the team practice report this morning. Questionable are Tyler Batty, C.J. Ham and Ben Yurosek. Mike Hall is out for the Browns, with Jack Conklin and Greg Newsome questionable.

Viewership of the Steelers 24-21 win over the Vikings last Sunday in Dublin was the second most-watched NFL Network International game ever, with 7.9 million viewers (TV+digital)—trailing only the 2023 Dolphins and Chiefs game in Germany. The total doesn’t include OTA viewership from the Minneapolis and Pittsburgh markets.

It could be the Twins Pohlad ownership group will announce its new minority owners at the MLB Winter Meetings in December.

If the Yankees fire manager Aaron Boone, the Twins would be advised to take a serious look at him to fill their managerial opening.

Veteran sportswriters Jerry Zgoda and Kent Youngblood left the Star Tribune earlier this year. Now Twins beat writer Phil Miller, a terrific reporter, is retiring, too. Last Sunday he posted the following on X:

“Phillies win 2-1 in 10, and that’s a wrap on the Twins’ disappointing 70-92 season — and on my 45-year career in newspapers, which has been the utter opposite of disappointing. To all you Jazz, Utes, Gophers and Twins fans, thanks so much for reading. It’s been an absolute blast.”

Representing the Gopher men’s team at Big Ten Basketball Media Days Oct. 8 and 9 in Rosemont, Ill. will be coach Niko Medved and sophomore guard Isaac Asuma and junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Jr. The women’s team contingent will be coach Dawn Plitzuweit and senior guards Amaya Battle and Mara Braun.

Blaze Credit Union, the official credit union of the Minnesota Wild, will have its logo on the team’s home helmets this season. As part of the sponsorship agreement between the two, the Blaze Credit Union’s Hockey Kids4Kids Program will continue. The program encourages youth players to raise funds for kids at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.

Marc-André Fleury, now in his first season of retirement, was brought to Minnesota in 2022 to be a role model for teammates including now No. 1 goalie Filip Gustavvson. It will be interesting to see if Gustavsson can keep building on past success and have his best season. The Wild open the regular schedule October 9 against the Blues in St. Louis.

The state-of-the-art LaunchPad Golf The Meadows in Prior Lake opens Saturday at 4 p.m. Located close to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and The Meadows at Mystic golf course, the venue will be a year-round entertainment destination.

It’s the first LauchPad location in the United States, and the venue has 40-heated suites (bays) and will be open even when temps are near 20 below. Each of the suites offers ball tracking technology, along with an auto-tee system that pops up the next golf ball after the last one has been hit. The driving range is 243 yards long and golfers can bring their own clubs or have them provided.

Serious golfers can experience some of the world’s most famous golf courses, including Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, The Old Course at St. Andrews, and others. There’s also a variety of different games that are fun for golfers of different abilities, including suite linking technology to compete against an adjacent group.

LaunchPad’s offerings create a welcoming social atmosphere with its sports bar and quality dining options that include shareables and dinner entrees. LaunchPad is a sponsor of Gopher athletics and members of the men’s hockey and basketball team recently enjoyed a visit there.

There will be visitation starting at 11 a.m. Monday at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis for Minnesota golf legend John Harris, 73. A memorial service follows at noon at the church. In addition to excelling in amateur and professional golf, John played on the 1974 Golden Gophers national championship hockey team.

The esteemed Twin Cities Dunkers organization started in 1948 as the Minneapolis Dunkers under the leadership of Norm McGrew. Dave Mona took over in 1999 but will step away at the end of 2026 when Dunkers board member and former Twins president Dave St. Peter takes over as the next president and general manager of the civic and business organization whose activities include raising money for the Minneapolis and St. Paul public high schools to support their athletic programs. Dunkers has raised over $1.5 million for the cause.

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